Bleeding Heart
by EmeraldgreenTomboy
Summary: "They say the purest way to express your romantic love to somebody is to present them with a bleeding heart flower, the most rare and magical flower there is. It lives forever, and it can never wilt or die. By giving someone this, you are saying that you love him or her forever and ever." Zelink, NOT AU, Romance, fluffy.


**Hello, buddies! This is EMERALD here, and I just got back from vacation in the mountains. It was loads of fun, climbed really steep mountains, almost fell off a cliff but managed to stay on, and I wrote a new story for you lot. **

**I have never written a story for Zelink that is not AU. This is based around OoT time. It's my first time ever, and I just wanted to test out my own skills with it. I think its a lot worse than my AUs, but if you have read them, please tell me what you think about my writing skills in both of them. **

**SO PLEASE- NO FLAMES OR HARSH WORDS- ONLY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. **

**And also to all my reviewers followers and so on- Thank you so much for your continuous support, it is very appreciated! Thank you x infinity!**

**Also, story alert: I have a new story coming soon. It will be my first multi-chapter. Look for it before the 31st, aka Friday. I hope to have it up by then. **

**About Bleeding Heart:**

****_A bleeding heart is a real flower. I saw one when I went on vacation, and I thought to myself, what if I make a story based on one of them? Thus this story came to life. _

_Basic Info:_

__Rating: T

Summary: _"They say the purest way to express your romantic love to somebody is to present them with a bleeding heart flower, the most rare and magical flower there is. It lives forever, and it can never wilt or die. By giving someone this, you are saying that you love him or her forever and ever." Zelink, NOT AU, Romance, fluffy.  
_Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE READ: **

**I did not research bleeding hearts. All of the information in here is false, I used my imagination to come up with it.**

**ENJOY! **

* * *

A 17-year-old princess shifted in her sleep, her blankets tangled around her small body. Her long, golden hair was spread out in different directions on the pillow, and one leg hung over the side of the large bed.

Impa smiled at the sight, a rare thing for a Sheikah warrior. She walked over to the princess's bed, and shook her gently. "Zelda…" she said quietly. The young princess let out a groan and a small snore. Impa shook her even harder. "Zelda."

The princess woke with a start, startling her nurse and sitting up in her bed fast as a lightning bolt. "I didn't do it, I didn't do it!" she said, waving her arms around frantically. Impa rolled her eyes. "Highness, do remember that today is the Valentine's Day ball… your father has been most anxious to speak to you about it…and I trust you want to look your best to impress a certain young man dressed in green…"

Zelda instantly flushed at the thought of that certain someone…Link. He was her personal bodyguard, the Hero of Time, the best archer and fencer in Hyrule, and the captain of Hyrule's army. He was rather popular with the ladies, but there was no news of him courting anybody yet. Though Zelda made it a personal decision to hate whomever it was he courted.

Often, she scolded herself for having such thoughts. Who was she to decide whom he courted? No, she would not interfere with his love life. Besides, her father would never let her be courted by a commoner, no matter what.

Sighing slightly, Zelda stood up from her bed. "Impa, what good is it to try and impress him? He does not love me like I love him, and my father would never let me be courted by him." A small tear escaped one of her blue eyes.

Impa snapped her fingers, and the blue silk nightgown Zelda had been wearing was gone, and now replaced by a beautiful pink dress. "Hush, now, Princess. No need to cry over this. You do not know that Link does not love you back. To most of us at the castle, it is quite obvious he loves you. And don't forget my mind-reading abilities, Princess. Even your father has noticed. He loves Link like a son, he would be delighted to allow Link to court you." Impa started to walk towards the door, about to leave.

Zelda suddenly turned back to her nurse. "Impa…how do you know if somebody loves you?" The Sheikah stopped dead in her tracks.

"Well, of course there is the most obvious way, to tell them face to face or in a letter. Another way to tell, of course, is if they kiss you…however… they say the purest way to express your romantic love to somebody is to present them with a bleeding heart flower, the most rare and magical flower there is. There are few left in this world; love is rather scarce at the moment. Those that are left usually grow in patches of two, one for each lover. It lives forever, and it can never wilt or die. By giving someone this, you are saying that you love him or her forever and ever."

"But Impa, don't I have some of them in my garden?" Zelda asked. But the nurse had already disappeared out the door.

* * *

"Zelda dearest! Where have you been?" King Harkinian exclaimed as Zelda walked in to the royal kitchen that morning. "Forgive me, father, I… um, stopped by the library after getting dressed…I needed to research something…" Impa raised her eyebrows at Zelda. Zelda smiled weakly at her. In truth, Zelda had stopped by a window to watch Link training the guards. Link had been demonstrating some complex sword moves, and Zelda had…lost herself while watching him.

"Very well then, Zelda. Might I ask what you wanted to research?" King Harkinian asked. Zelda paled. There was no way she would tell him that she had stopped by a window to watch Link do his usual morning training. Thinking quickly, she said, "I wanted to research a certain flower… called a bleeding heart."

The king spilled the honey he had been pouring on his plate. Impa dropped the huge pile of papers she had been holding (all information about the king's duties for the day).

"Bleeding heart, you say?" The king questioned. Zelda nodded. "I see." And with that they ate in silence.

A couple hours later, Zelda had saddled her mare, Sapphire, at the royal stable. The royal stable was rather large; Hyrule was famous for their competition horses. There was a large indoor and outdoor arena, trails to ride on, and a racetrack. Sapphire was one of the best jumpers in the stable, although one horse was the best at everything: Epona, Link's horse. He had gotten his horse at Lon Lon Ranch, and trained her very hard. Link was a professional rider, and therefore entered many of the castle's competitions. No horse had ever beaten Epona and Link in a competition before, although Zelda and Sapphire had come rather close.

Zelda mounted her gray mare gracefully, and rode out towards the trail. She never had guards come with her, for she had insisted that riding was like her private time. Often, Link joined her, though he was nowhere to be found. _I'll bet he's training with the guards…but come to think of it, Epona wasn't in her stall, _she thought.

Thinking more about Link, she cantered on the trail, and came to a stop at her favorite part of the woods: Lake Floria. Tethering Sapphire to a tree, she sat down on her favorite rock. As a child, Zelda would come here with her mother. Her mother told her stories of dragons that lived in the water, fairies that had dances on the night of the full moon, and so many magical things. But now, her mother was gone. One of Ganondorf's minions had shot a poisoned arrow at her while she was riding, and she had instantly died.

Zelda closed her eyes and felt a tear dripping down her face.

"Is everything all right, highness?" a familiar voice said. Without opening her eyes, Zelda replied, "We have been friends for quite a long time, Link, and yet you still call me 'highness'. Why is that so?" She heard Link sigh softly. Knowing Link, this meant that he would not tell her the answer.

Zelda opened her eyes to take a good look at Link. He stood there, handsome as ever: Blonde-golden hair glistening in the sun, dark blue eyes sparkling, and his muscles completely outlined through his green tunic and black breeches. Epona stood loyally next to him, nuzzling his ear. Realizing she had practically been drooling at him, she turned away and looked back in to the lake.

"How are my soldiers?" she asked.

"Horrible, princess. I asked one of them to do a spin attack, and he did a jump attack. And then dropped his sword." Link replied, grimacing. "But don't worry, princess. You know quite enough of the Sheikah arts that you should be fine without any soldiers."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's company and thinking about things. Zelda broke the silence by timidly saying, "Link…I trust you have heard that tonight is the Valentine's Day ball?" He stared at the water.

"Yes, Princess, I have…" he trailed off.

"And…are you going?" she asked. He glanced at her with an odd expression on his face. "I mean, my father wants to know, you are his favorite knight, after all…" she stammered quickly, blushing beet red.

Link, sensing her nervousness, stood up and walked over to Epona, who was currently grazing. Untying her from the tree branch, he said, "I'm sorry, princess, but I must get back to training the soldiers. I am already a couple minutes late," he said. Zelda nodded her head, although inside she wanted to cry, "Please don't go!"

"You should be getting back as well, princess, I'd say its about an hour to dinner. And you have to get yourself ready to impress your _suitors_…" he said, putting a disgusted emphasis on the last word and frowning.

That's right! Zelda had completely forgotten- her 18th birthday was coming up soon. It was traditional for a princess to be wed on the day of her 18th birthday, so her father had invited numerous suitors from different kingdoms across the land to attend the ball. To Zelda, most of the princes she had met were stuck up and snobby jerks, and nothing at all like Link. She had shown one of them her pet bird, Azalea, and they had run off screaming for a guard.

She nodded her head mutely, lowering her gaze back to the water. "In fact, Princess, why don't I escort you to the palace with me? I am supposed to be your bodyguard, after all." Link said, tightening his saddle's girth and adjusting the stirrups.

In the last couple of months, Link had been very busy. Before he had been offered his second job, captain of the royal army, he and Zelda were almost always seen together, laughing and chasing each other around. At that time, he had been devoted to one job, and one job only: her protector. When her father had given Link the opportunity to be captain, he had eagerly agreed, and began spending less and less time with Zelda. Moments such as these- when Link and Zelda were alone and free somewhere- were extremely rare, and they both treasured them.

Zelda once again nodded her head, and he smiled charmingly at her. Blushing, she stood up and brushed herself off. Sapphire, as if knowing where they were about to go, tossed her head impatiently as Zelda untied her. Link came over to hold and stroke the horse as Zelda adjusted her saddle. Feeling Link's eyes on her, she reddened even more, and fumbled with the straps. Finally finishing, she took the reins from Link.

"Do you need a hand getting on, princess?" Link asked, grinning at her. Shooting him a dirty look, she mounted her horse gracefully and shot him a smile. "I take that as a 'no'…" he laughed. And with that, he mounted Epona, and they were off at a trot. The lake disappeared out of sight, and was quickly replaced by trees of all different kinds.

"Hey Link…" Zelda said after some while. He glanced at her. "Yes, highness?"

"Race you back to the palace?" she asked, grinning mischievously. He raised his eyebrows questioningly at her. It had been quite some time since they had raced. Smirking at her, he said, "You're on!" He spurred Epona in to a gallop, Sapphire and Zelda close behind. Somehow, Zelda managed to pull in front of Link, who had a look of pure astonishment on his face. They were neck and neck as they reached the opening in the forest. To Zelda's surprise and horror, Sapphire had suddenly slid to a stop and reared, and Zelda lost her balance instantly and flew off. Squeezing her eyes shut, she braced herself for the blow…but it never came. Instead, she fell in to Link's arms. "Princess, are you alright?" He asked, his voice thick with concern and worry. She opened her eyes and found herself gazing at Link bright blue eyes. "If I'm seeing your eyes and they're blue, I'm okay." Zelda replied, wrapping her arms around Link's neck for support. _He is still on his horse…that just goes to prove how good of a rider he is… _she thought. Chuckling with relief, he said, "I believe Sapphire might have spooked because my men are practicing their archery over there," he said, gesturing towards the practice field as he started Epona at a slow walk towards Sapphire and grabbed her reins. Resting in his warm arms and enjoying his warm breath on her face, Zelda dozed quietly until they came to a halt. "This is where we get off, highness…" Link whispered. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that they were right outside of the stable. The moment was perfect; there was a beautiful breeze, the sun was bright, the horses neighed and nickered, and she was in Link's strong arms. It wasn't surprising that they both started to lean in to each other.

"Princess!" A voice shouted nearby. They quickly separated, so fast that Link almost dropped Zelda. A maid came in to view, panting and out of breath. "Highness… Captain Link…" she said, dropping two quick curtsies. "Her grace, Lady Impa, has been looking for you, princess, she must get you ready for the ball. And your father has asked me to tell you that he wishes to have a word with you about your suitors before the ball, highness." At the mention of suitors, Zelda's smile fell a little bit, and Link tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her up against his body.

"Tell Impa that I will be with her shortly in my bedroom to prepare…for the ball." Zelda replied, loosening Link's arms around her waist. The maid nodded, and scurried off up the hill towards the castle. Link slid off Epona first, and offered Zelda his hand. Normally, she could get off without any chivalry, but her helper being Link, she accepted his hand.

"Well, highness, I can take care of Sapphire for you," Link said, as she slid down from the saddle.

"No, Link, it's fine. You have soldiers to train. They need you. I can ask a stable-hand to take care of her. Would you like him to take care of Epona as well?" Zelda asked, gathering her horse's reins.

Link shook his head. "I think today I'll work the soldiers out on horseback, they are treacherous with animals…I had to send one of them up to the sick wing because his horse nibbled on his ear and he started crying like crazy," he said. "Now, its time for me to get to the training field. I am very late. So, farewell, your highness. I will be seeing you soon, I hope." Bowing low, he led Epona off towards the big grass field, where a group of soldiers stood talking to one another.

Sighing, Zelda summoned a stable-hand to take her horse away, and began the walk up towards the castle.

* * *

"…your father has been most anxious to have a discussion with you about suitors, of course… he feels that you will find the perfect man at tonight's ball to rule beside you after he passes," Impa chattered, lacing up Zelda's white corset.

After a couple more minutes of silence, Impa had finally finished. Standing up straighter, she gave Zelda a stern look. "Now, princess, I am aware that you despise your suitors. You wish for Link, that much is obvious. However, that gives you no reason not to be polite to your suitors. They all came from far away lands to seek your hand in marriage, and you should be grateful for that much. A last warning, highness… the king will not be pleased to see you being rude to your suitors tonight. I recommend you do not cross this line of his, or else you stand no chance to marry the person whom you wish to marry." Zelda nodded her head sadly.

"There's a good girl, highness. Now then, which dress shall you wear tonight? I could use my magic to make any dress you wish for… just say what you wish for…"

An hour later, Zelda was ready to go. "Your highness… you look… gorgeous…so much like your mother." Impa said, in a quiet tone. Impa spoke the truth. Strands of Zelda's long, golden hair hung tantalizingly near her face, curled perfectly. The rest of it sat on the top of her head in a beautiful bun, with barrettes and jewels slipped in. Her golden crown sat right in front of the bun, decorated with gemstones. Her dress was colored bright pink. Red rubies and pink diamonds covered the low neckline, which revealed a little bit, but not too much. A thin layer of silk was attached to the dress to cover her arms loosely, and the skirts were a beautiful lavender color. On her neck, she wore a necklace bearing the symbol of the Triforce. Her wrists, covered loosely with the white silk, wore two matching bracelets of amethyst and opal gems.

"Princess…" a small voice said timidly from nearby. Turning around, Zelda recognized the young maid she had seen at the stable. "His majesty sends word that he wishes to speak with you in his study." Zelda nodded her head, already dreading the conversation with her father. Curtsying, the maid scrambled out of sight.

"You wished to speak with me, father?"

"Ah, yes, Zelda, please have a seat." The king gestured toward a chair sitting across from his large table. Once Zelda had sat down, the king stood up from his large chair and began pacing around the room.

"Now, Zelda," he began sharply, "We have very little time before the ball begins at 5 o'clock. Your goal there is to look your best for your suitors, and perhaps find one that you may like. I know—sit still, Zelda—how you feel about suitors. I feel the same way about them myself. But you must be married to a man worthy enough to rule this kingdom by your side. Those suitors traveled quite a bit to attend tonight. I do not want to see you being nasty to any of them, you hear?"

Zelda nodded her head.

"Good, good! I have asked Captain Link to escort you to the ballroom. Now, lets get going then, shall we?"

"Princess, you look lovely," Link said, bowing low. Zelda restrained herself from blushing, though her heart skipped a beat. "Thank you, Link," she replied, and they began to walk towards the ballroom. Two guards opened the doors for them, and Link led Zelda to her royal chair at the front of the room. The king, already there, waved his arms to the orchestra, which instantly began playing a fast waltz. Suitors began to walk towards Zelda, asking her to dance. Zelda could have sworn she heard Link growl beside her, but when she caught her father's eye, she accepted to dance with a brown-haired prince from Holodrum. As they walked away, she heard the king tell Link, "You are allowed to dance, Captain Link, I have an eye on her."

She soon saw Link dancing to a slow, romantic waltz with a beautiful red-haired young lady, smiling handsomely at her and keeping his eyes locked with hers. Zelda felt jealousy rearing its ugly head inside her, wishing that she were the beautiful young lady. After dancing with several other suitors, she finally saw Link again, dancing with the same red-haired lady.

But what Zelda saw instantly made tears come to her eyes. The young lady who he was dancing with slowly began to move her face closer. Link did not move his head away, but he did not move his face closer to hers, and it was obvious that he did not notice what his partner was doing. The lady's lips came closer and closer, and just when her lips were a centimeter away, Zelda bolted, tears streaming down her face and leaving the young prince she had been dancing with looking more confused than ever.

She ran and ran, through the couples that were dancing, shoving past the orchestra and bumping in to the food tables, until she reached the entrance to the garden. All the gardens in the palace were connected to one another, and she continued to run until she had reached her own garden.

Collapsing on the swinging bench, she sobbed her heart out. Link was probably kissing somebody right now, without a care in the world as to where Zelda was or how she was feeling. Little did she know that the second she had bolted out the door, Link had pushed the red-haired woman away disgustedly and ran out after her. Zelda heard slow footsteps behind her, but she didn't care. Whoever it was could kill her and save her from all the pain. Link did not love her back. Link had no feelings for her at all. He had fallen for the beautiful young lady at the ball, he had kissed her! She continued to sob in to her hands as the footsteps came closer. She was rather surprised when someone sat on the bench next to her. Still, she did not look up, but something slipped in to her hand. Curious, she took her hands off her face and looked at the thing in her hand. It was a bleeding heart flower.

She looked up at the person's face and gasped. Link sat next to her, smiling hopefully as his eyes twinkled. "Link…!"

He cocked his head to one side, still not saying anything. "How… why… is this a joke?" Zelda spluttered. Link shook his head, still smiling.

"You… you… truly…l-love m-m-me?"

He nodded. "Always have. Always will."

Not being able to withstand it any more, Zelda pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. He responded immediately, kissing her back with just as much passion as she was with him. He delved his tongue deeper in to her mouth, tasting her, feeling her. She moaned in response and gripped his hair. They were in their own little world, and there was no greater feeling.

Somewhere from far above them, two figures stood watching them on a balcony. "Take care of her, Link… you gave her a bleeding heart, just like I gave her mother a bleeding heart… this day, this ball, this night… 18 years ago… keep her safe…" whispered the king's voice. "Come, sire… leave them be…" Impa's quiet voice said. The figures disappeared in to the palace, leaving the kissing couple alone.

And the next morning, once again, a 17-year-old princess shifted in her sleep, her blankets tangled around her small body. Her long, golden hair was spread out in different directions on the pillow, and one leg hung over the side of the large bed, and beside her, a masculine figure tightened his grip on her waist. And beside them, a bleeding heart lay.

* * *

**Ok, lets get fown to the good stuff. **

**How was it? Was it too cheesy? Too long? Too short? Spelling mistakes? Typos?**

**Please review and make a scared author happy. :)**

**Ok:**

**Question of the week time! It's optional, you can reply to it in your review. **

******_What's your favorite flower?_******

**I like... all of them that don't have bees flying around them when I am near them. I fear bees...**

**Please review, and don't forget:**

**-I have a new story coming soon, its based on this Italian romance movie. You can read more about it on my profile. **

**-Read my other stories too, they are lonely...**

**Eee hee hee!**

**Question of the week time! It's optional, you can reply to it in your review. **

**_What's your favorite flower?_******

**I like... all of them that don't have bees flying around them when I am near them. I fear bees...**

**Gracias! (I'm learning Spanish...)**

**Bye bye. **

**-Emmie**


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